LED-Strips - the flexible illumination technique

LED-strips are a practical all-rounder. The couple of meters long LED-strips can be established quite multilateral. They function as an indirect lighting source in living- and bedrooms, as a TV backlight and for the ideal home cinema experience. They can as well be applied under closets or other pieces of furniture, on staircases or along the floor or ceiling. Display cabinets, shelfs and closets can be illuminated in a decorative way with LED-strips. Due to the intense colors and luminance, they can be suited as a perfect lighting for parties.

The installation is very easy thanks to the adhesive back side. The strips last everywhere, where they are needed, completely without drilling and screwing. Moreover, most of the strips can be shortened to a favored length. Usually, the LED-strips come along as a complete set, with a power pack, a remote control and everything that is required for the usage.

There are differences in the length of the strips, the amount of LEDs that are used as well as in the eligible functions and lighting effects. As a result of the small size of the luminous diode, LED strips provide a lot of light in a consolidated product. They can be attached everywhere without utilizing a lot of place.

Low-budget SUPERNIGHT LEDs Light Strip Kit

This product by supernight is a flexible color changing LED strip. It contains 300 LEDs with an RGB connector spread on 5 meters. The kit furthermore contains a remote control and a power supply.

The consumer has the opportunity to chose between 20 stock colors which are also dimmable. In addition to that, there is the possibility to save up to 6 own colors using the DIY function on the remote. The strip is waterproof and contains three sections where it can be cut so that the light can split. There are different kinds of kits that vary from waterproof to non-waterproof or ones that have different amounts of LEDs. And yet others have different lenghts or widths.

According to some reviews made by costumers the strip has a very bright light which fulfills the expectations from a 12V light strip. On the other hand, some costumers claim that the adhesive back side of the strip is not satisfying because of the ephemerality of the glue. Others have serious doubts about the power pack which has a cheap construction and might even overheat.

The complete Aled Light set is five meters long and equipped with 150 LEDs. A proper plug and a remote control with 44 buttons belong to the scope of supply. 20 RGB-colors (red-green-blue spectrum) can be regulated with the remote control. Self created colors may be saved by using the six DIY-buttons. Furthermore, eight different modes are available, including a blinking light and a change from selectively three or seven colors.

The energy efficiency could be improved due to the fact that it is only classified with an A. The product is not waterproof. Opinions made by customers differ a lot. Some consumer even warn against the LED strips or rather against the power pack. According to them, there is a fire danger because the power pack might not resist the load and melt. In contrast to that, there are a lot of good reviews as well. These experiences seem to vary radically.

These ultra-modern light strips are from Philips and they are controlled through an app which can be activated with iOS- and android-smartphones and tablets. It enables a multifaceted lighting regulation. In connection with the name of the app called „hue“, Philips markets a divers amount of suitable lighting sources which can be complemented and combined with each other.

This product is all about the starter kit. It contains two light strips with each two meters length, the required bridge with the power pack as well as a lan-cable for the usage.

In different respects, the light strips offer a maximum of possibilities in the field of domestic lighting designs thanks to the sophisticated technique. This incloses the selection of colors, for example, which includes 16 million shades of color.

The luminosity and intensity of the colors can be adapted individually. In addition, the light can be turned on and off on the way to prevent burglary. The handling of the app is without any difficulty and problems.

10x corner connectors for LED RGB strips

Frequently Asked Questions about Light Strips

Can the LED strips also be attached on a ceiling?

A lot of LED strips have an adhesive foil on their bottom side. One can attach them directly on smooth and clean surfaces. That is so to fix the LED strips on a wall as well as on a ceiling.

In case the strip should not be self-adhesive, one can also fix the strip with a doubled-faced adhesive tape. With this method, the LED strips can be attached on every surface the adhesive tape sticks on.

Is it possible to shorten the LED strips?

LED strips consist of units with each 50 cm. The transition between each unit is either marked through a symbol of scissors, the writing „cut here“ or a red line. There is a solder joint underneath it, where you can cut the strip with scissors.

It is important to keep the copper spots on each side to connect the rest functionally with each other. Therefore, you simply connect the copper spots with each other and solder them afterwards to prevent any defective contact in the electric system. This proceeding is absolutely safe and no electrician is needed.

Are there programmable LED strips on the market?

Yes, there is a various number of programmable LED strips on the market. But they are more cost-intensive than LED strips which are not programmable, however. They offer a variety of possibilities with which you can personalize your LED strip. There are models where you can select the color of every single LED, for example. You can even modify them so that one LED illuminates in several colors.

Other models are, for instance programmable in their luminance or their time of activity. So, one can create various projects, even to the point of simple animated mini-movies. There are barely any borders set to your creativity.

Can LED strips be also attached on wallpapers?

Yes. LED strips can be attached on a lot of different materials. Many LED strips have a glued surface on their bottom side. With this side, you can fix the LED strip on every smooth and clean surface. One thing needs to be considered, that there are not only smooth wallpapers. While LED strips can generally be attached on wallpapers, problems can appear with ingrain wallpapers or other wallpapers with an uneven surface. But don’t feel discouraged, there is a technical solution for every problem.

In case, your LED strips should not have a glued surface or should not stick to a favored wallpaper, there is still the possibility of using a double-faced adhesive tape. Depending on technical skills, the difference does not appear as striking anymore and you can continue your projects effortless.

Can LED strips be also attached with hot glue?

You should definitely be careful fixing LED strips with hot glue. While there are several cases where LED strips could be attached with hot glue without any difficulty, there are some cases where it became problematic. Hot glue has in fact a quite safe but rather an unpleasant feature. It cannot melt just once but several times through the heat a strip produces. Especially quite light LED strips produce a heat where strips may fuse and fall off.

Furthermore, hot glue can reach a high temperature in a notably liquid state which can lead to a malfunction of the electronics. In this connection, you should avoid at any rate to attach programmable LED strips with hot glue because they are highly sensitive and this can lead to damages of the electronic which appeared to be completely useless afterwards. It is basically possible to attach LEDs like this but keep it as your last choice.

Multifunctional LED strips illuminate every home

Two out of three products have something in common: the LED-strips are each five meters long, self-adhesive, come as a complete set and are handled via remote control. The Philips product is a slightly different kind of LED strip. In general, the strips resemble each other in their visual appearance as well as in their function. But still, there are essential differences. Looking at the SUPERNIGHT LEDs, they have a price advantage.

The strips by ALED LIGHT and Philips Friends of hue clearly differ. The first product is also the only one that is waterproof. While the first two products are handled with a remote control, the Philips strip is regulated with an app. The advantage of it is the fact that the strip provides an almost unlimited selection of colors which can be controlled from home or on the way.

The LED strips are applicable in a very practical and multifunctional way. It is, for instance common that the strips can be cut after every third LED so that one can create one’s own strips with different lengths. It is up to everyone’s desires which product is the right one due to the fact that they might differ on the number of LEDs or individual functions.